5-Day: Lots of Leaves

We've enjoyed a busy week of learning in the 5-day classroom! The children are soaking up the excitement of the changing seasons and continuing to build friendships as they explore, play, and cooperate at school.

A favorite project this week was creating an autumn mural together. Each day we worked on a different part: painting the earth and sky, gluing on trees and cotton clouds, designing colorful tissue paper leaves, cutting out pumpkins and apples, and finally coloring forest animals. Stop by our classroom to see our beautiful finished work!

The children loved listening to the story Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Using the leaves, twigs, and acorns from our nature walk, the children each got to make their own special leaf man. We discussed different traveling adventures we have each been on, and the children narrated stories about where their leaf men might go. Enjoy reading the delightful individual responses on the bulletin board down the hall!

We spent time building on math concepts of counting and sorting, using many leaves from outside. It was also fascinating to discover the different shapes and texture patterns on "hidden" leaves as we worked together to color a large leaf rubbing poster at the table. Later in the week, children continued to make their own leaf rubbings at the writing table.

The discovery table invited children to experiment with rolling acorns, using blocks, tubes, and ramps. There were many wonderful conversations between friends and teachers as we investigated how to get acorns from one point to another. Many children took the opportunity to work cooperatively with a friend to figure out different designs and methods using the materials.

Reminders:

*Cold weather has arrived! Unless the weather is extreme, we will plan to spend time on the playground each day. Please send your child to school with all necessary clothing items for comfortable outdoor play! It is also very helpful to label each item in case it becomes separated from your child. :)

Love,

Kristi and Cathy

#seasons #mural #artprojects #leaves #naturewalk #mathematics #leafrubbing #discoverytable #cooperation